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The wet weather in May followed by hot weather in June has brought everything on in a rush, including the inevitable weeds, which were growing at a rate of 2 feet in a week! The big ones have been pulled out to make things look better, but several hours of hand forking still lay ahead. The good news is that it has been great for the lawn which has recovered remarkably well, especially with the Canada Green seed mixed in. It is getting a high cut which makes it look lush and vigorous and holds moisture at the roots.
The planting out has been completed with inevitable casualties, so I have resorted to filling the gaps by putting seed straight into the ground. Three seeds spaced properly allow you to simply pluck the weaker ones out or provides you with extra spares. The climbing beans are all doing well and reached the top of the frame so time to pick the tops out and allow each plant to thicken up. The Broad Beans were planted at the end of March, which is quite late, but they will be ready at the same time as the Runner Beans and French Beans... so looking forward to a bean feast!
The rhubarb has also been going like the clappers as it liked the cool wet conditions this May. It needs to be well watered to keep it going, although hot weather may bring it to an end. The new potatoes are also ready, with plenty of flower, but I will wait a couple of weeks to allow them to bulk up a little while using up the last of the shop-bought Desiree.
The borders are billowing, especially with weed, and the summer perennials are starting to show. In fact, the blue Delphiniums are finishing off and the white ones just starting to come into flower. Maybe next year they will flower together, although that is probably wishful thinking. Containers and hanging baskets need a lot of attention, with watering and high potash feed. Keep them dead-headed to bring on more flowers.
The June drop is underway as fruit trees naturally jettison the weak fruit and it allows time to identify the big healthy fruits and start to pick off the small and ugly looking ones. The aphids have been rampant this year and I have effectively pruned the apple tree back to the nearest fruit. The Provanto insecticide didn’t stay on top of the pests this year so I resorted to Picket which has stopped them dead in their tracks. Unfortunately, it’s not really suitable for Broad Beans as it gets to the soft stems and leaves, so the best thing is to pick out the tops.
The tadpoles are looking well in their protected container, although the numbers seem to diminish daily. The water gets freshened up from the pond with new weed added. They remain vegetarian until the legs start to grow and then they start to eat each other, so they need to be fed with daphnia, which unsurprisingly is available on the internet.
I set about my new interest in woodworking with a visit to the Carpenters Arms at Eastling but discovered that I was more interested in a lamb joint than a dovetail joint. So I have decided to have a go at metalwork instead and booked up for the Blacksmiths Arms in Wormshill which is open at the weekends. I have been looking at village pubs on Google Maps and getting really excited at all the hobbies available although I think I already know which one will be my favourite. It’s the pub at Langley outside Maidstone.
UHS is always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the shows we hold each year, please get in touch. We would be happy to hear from you.
If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk
Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society
